Coupler



March 23, 1943.- E. P. suNDHoLM 2,314,374

COUPLER Filed March 21, 1941 2.Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENT OR.

54 12 Jmmm March 23', 1943-. E. P. SUNDHOLM COUPLER Filed March 21, 1.941

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Mar. 23, 1943 SATES 2 Claims.

The present invention relates to a certain new and useful multi-jawed hydraulic snap-on chucktype coupler for use in connecting the discharge hose or conduit of a grease-gun or lubricant-dispensing device or pump onto a headed lubricantreceiving fitting or nipple.

One of the objects of the present invention is to increase the efficiency of the coupler and to facilitate and enhance its various functions in gripping and sealing against the fitting and in quickly releasing the fitting when release is desired.

With the above and other objects in view, the present invention consists of certain novel features and details of construction all of which will appear more fully from the following description and accompanying drawings.

For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there are shown in the accompanying drawings forms thereof which are at present preferred, since the same have been found in practice to give satisfactory and reliable results, although it is to be understood that the various instrumentalities of which the invention consists can be variously arranged and organized and that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangement and organization of the instrumentalities as herein shown and described.

In the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters indicate like parts throughout,

Figure 1 represents a cross-sectional view on an enlarged scale of one embodiment of the present invention, parts being broken away better to reveal the construction thereof.

Figure 2 represents a cross-sectional view similar to that of Figure 1, but showing the relationship of the elements after the coupler has been attached to a fitting 6|.

Figure 3 represents a perspective view of the embodiment shown in Figures 1 and 2.

Figure 4 represents a cross-sectional view of the coupler shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3 as it appears when partially disassembled; the units being arranged in exploded position and being designated as Figures 4a, 4b, 4c, and 4d.

Figure 5 represents a perspective composite view of the coupler shown in Figures 1 to 4 as it appears when fully disassembled; the units 4a, 4b, 4c, and 4d of Figure 4 being further disassembled into their respective parts and being designated as Figures 5a, 5b, 5c, and 5d respectively.

In one embodiment of the present invention,

-a main body housing or shell 20 is provided of generally tubular formation having a reduced opening 2! in the forward end thereof. Said housing 26 is formed with an internal, generally cylindrical bore 22 in the forward portion thereof and a generally cylindrical bore 23 in the rear portion thereof. The bore 23 is of slightly larger diameter than the bore 22; for example, the bore 22 may be made with a diameter of while the bore 23 is made with a diameter of 5%".

A generally fiat annular shoulder 25 is formed inside the housing 20 and serves to separate the bores 22 and 23.

The housing 20 may be internally threaded as at 25 in the rearmost portion thereof.

A knurled area 26 may be provided about the outer surface of said housing 20 to give a gripping surface thereon.

I prefer to give a slight forward taper to the outer surface of said housing 20 at the forward portion thereof as at 21.

A generally cylindrical sealing plunger 28 having an axial opening 29 therein and having a generally concave, spherical sealing surface 30 at the outer Or forward end thereof, is provided within said housing 20. The rearmost or inner end of said plunger 28 is slightly radially outwardly enlarged as at 3|. Said surface 30 (instead of being spherical) may be of any other suitable shape to correspond with the shape of the sealing surface 63 of a fitting 6| to be hereinafter described.

A washer 32 having a central opening 33 which is slightly larger than the outside diameter of the smaller cylindrical outer surface 34 of said plunger 28 (but smaller than the outside diameter of the enlarged portion 3i of said plunger 28) is slidably fitted about said outer surface 34 and extends radially outwardly therefrom beyond said enlarged portion 3|. I prefer to construct said washer 32 with a generally rectangular cross section to provide generally flat front and rear surfaces thereon.

Said washer 32 extends radially outwardly into the larger cylindrical bore 23 of said housing 20 while the smaller-diametered portion 34 of said plunger 28 extends into the smaller-diametered cylindrical bore 22 of said shell H! with the concave sealing surface 30 thereof terminating somewhat short of the forward opening 2| in said housing 20. The outer periphery of the forward face 35 of said washer 32 is adapted to rest on the annular shoulder 24 of said housing 29 when the device is in a generally non-operating position.

A plurality, preferably three, of nipple-griping jaw members 35, each curved tovform aproximately one-third of the circumference, suround the portion 34 of said plunger 28 and exend forwardly beyond the forward end thereof a suitable extent and terminate in the invardly-extending, nipple-gripping fingers 31 raving the inclined, outer camming surfaces 2; said outer camming surfaces 38 being adapt- :d to ride upon and to be actuated by the in- :lined inner annular camming surface 39 at the orward end 45 of said housing 25.

slidably disposed within the cylindrcal bore 23 L116. directly beyond said washer 32, is a cup- :haped cylinder 4| having the cylindrical openng or bore 52; said opening 42 having a diamzter slightly greater than that of the enlarged rearmost portion 3| of said plunger 28 so that said rearmost portion 3| may reciprocate within said cylindrical opening 12.

The back-wall 43 of said cylinder 4| is formed with a somewhat smaller outside diameter than that of the main portion 54 thereof. An axial opening 45 passes through said back-wall 43 and communicates with the cylindrical opening 42 in said cylinder 4|.

A cup-shaped leather or suitable composition washer 55 is disposed within said cylindrical opening 52 directly beyond said enlarged portion of said plunger 28 to form a fluid-tight, pistonlike seal between the enlarged portion 3| and the cylindrical bore 42. A central opening 41 is provided in said washer 45. A relatively thin, metallic, cup-shaped washer or spreader member 48 having a central opening 49 may also be provided within the cup-shaped washer 4.6 in order to keep it spread open and in order also to act as a seat for a helical compression spring 55 which is interposed between said washer 46 and the back-wall 43 of said cylinder 5|. The more or less cylindrical or flange-like portion ll of the washer 48 is preferably of an axial extent as great or slightly greater than the axial extent of the leather or composition washer 45 so that the free edge of the metallic washer 58 will strike the juxtaposed metallic part of the coupler (upon an. extreme compression of the corresponding spring 59) before the free edge of the washer 45 strikes, thereby protecting the latter.

Thus, as shown in Figure 1, the spring 50 normally tends to urge the portion 3| forwardly within the opening 42 and thereby to maintain the sealing plunger 25 in its forwardmost position.

A plug member 5| having the externallythreaded tubular portion 52 is screwed into the threaded portion 25 of said housing 20 and forms a fluid-tight seal therewith, as shown in Figures 1 and'Z. The protruding portion 13 of said plug member 5| may be formed with a pair of flattened sides 14 about the otherwise-cylindrical outer periphery thereof. Instead of providing the sides M, I may make the outer surface of the protruding portion 13 polygonal; as for example hexagonal.

The tubular portion 52 has the inner cylindrical bore 53 which is slightly greater than the reduced back-wall 43 of said cylinder 4| so that said reduced back-wall 43 may be slidably reciprocated within said bore 53.

A generally cup-shaped leather or suitable composition washer 54 having the central opening 65 is disposed within said bore 53 directly behind said reduced back-wall 43 so as to form a fluid-tight seal between said wall 43 and said bore 53, A thin, metallic, cup-shaped washer or spreader member 55 having a central opening 61 may be inserted within the washer 54 in order to keep it spread open and in order to act as a better seat for a helical compression spring 56 which is interposed between said washer 54 and the central wall 51 within said plug member 5|. The cylindrical portion 12 of said washer 55 is preferably of a slightly greater axial extent than the axial extent of the leather cup-washer 54 (as described previously with respect to the washer 48). The spring 55 normally tends to urge the cup-shaped cylinder M to its forwardmost position within said housing 25 in which said washer 32 contacts the annular shoulder 24, and in which the nipple-gripping fingers 31 of the jaws 35 are maintained in their closed or gripping position.

An opening 58 is provided within the central wall 51 of said plug member 5| and forms a communicating passageway between the inner cylindrical bore 53 thereof and an outer cylindrical bore 59 formed in said plug member 5|. The outermost portion of said outer bore 59 is internally threaded as at 55 whereby said plug member 5| may be screw-threadedly engaged to any suitable hose terminal or conduit 68 to which the coupler of the present invention is to be attached, as shown in Figure 2.

The coupler of the present invention is adapted to be connected to a fitting 5|, as shown in Figure ,2, of a form now well-known and in common use, and having a head portion 62 with a sealing surface 53 which may be spherical or any other suitable shape and having an undercut shoulder as which is adapted to be engaged by the fingers 31 of the jaw members 35, when said jaw fingers are contracted in a radially.- inward direction by the action of the camming surface 39 upon the camming surfaces 38 of said jaw members 35.

Said fitting 5i also contains an opening 65 passing therethrough and communicating (when said coupler and said fitting are operatively engaged, as shown in Figure 2,) with the openings 33, 41, 49, 42, d5, 66, 61, 53, 58 and 55 and with a conduit 68 or other fluid line connected to the plug member 5 The fitting 6| also contains the check ball 69 and spring 1!) in the usual manner.

The operation of the coupler constituting the present invention will now be described. As hereinbefore stated, when said coupler is not in use, the sealing plunger 28 is maintained in its advanced position by the spring 55 and the jaw members 35 are maintained in their advanced and contracted position by the spring 55. When said coupler is connected to said fitting 6}, as shown in Figure 2, the act of forcing said coupler over the rounded head portion 52 of said fit? ting 5| first moves the fingers 3'! of the jaw members 36 backwardly and radially outwardly against the spring 55 to permit the entry of said head portion '52 within said fingers 31. As the fitting 6| penetrates further within the forward opening 2| of the housing 120, the head portion 62 contacts the concave sealing surface '30 and forces said sealing plunger :28 inwardly against the spring 55.

Whenthe head portion 52 has penetrated sufficiently far, the fingers Bl of the jaw members 35 are again forced forwardly and radially inwardly (by said spring 55) to enclose the under.- cut shoulder 65 of the head portion 62 and there.- y to exert a grippin a ti n prev n i t e i voluntary'dislodgment of said coupler from said fitting 6|. However, due to the fact, that said spring 56 is relatively Weak, the coupler may be readily disconnected from said fitting 6|, if desired, by merely pulling or tilting said coupler, sufiiciently to spread the jaw members 35 to permit one or two of said jaw members 36 to ride over said head and to uncouple therefrom.

Thus, when the coupler has been seated fully Lmder pressure is introduced from said conduit 58 into the coupler, the pressure of the fluid acting upon the back-wall 43 of the cup-shaped cylinder 2| forces said jaw members 35 forward (with a very much greater force than is exerted by said spring 55) and causes the fingers 31 to grip the undercut shoulder 55 of the fitting with a high degree of pressure and thereby to hold said coupler upon said fitting 5| firmly and irremovably.

The pressure of the iluid acting upon the enlarged portion 35 of the sealing plunger 28 (with a very much higher pressure than that exerted by the spring 55) forces said sealing plunger 28 forward and causes the sealing surface 35 to be held in fluid-tight sealing relationship with the sealing surface 53 of said fitting 5|. The component elements of the coupler are so proportioned that the area of the back-wall 53 of the cylinder 4| is substantially greater than the area of the face of the enlarged portion 3i so that the hydraulic force tending to press the sealing surface 30 of the plunger 28 into sealing contact with the head 62 of the fitting 5| is less than the force transmitted to the gripping jaw members 36. The area of the face of the enlarged portion 3| is greater than the area of the head portion 62 which is exposed to the grease so that the force tending to press the sealing end 36 and the plunger 28 into sealing contact with the head 62 of the fitting 5| is substantially greater than the hydraulic force tending to separate the plunger from the nipple head.

The grease then passes through the openings 59, 58, 53, 61, 66, 45, 42, 49, 5'1, 33 and 65 to the bearing or other point to be lubricated. As long as the grease is passing through said openings under pressure, the coupler and the fitting 6| are held in fluid-tight and irremovable relationship. When the pressure is cut ofi, the jaws 36 and the sealing plunger 28 are held in their respective forward positions only by their respective springs so that when the period of lubrication has ended the fitting can readily be removed.

If desired, a check valve of any conventional type (not shown) may be provided to prevent the free return of fluid into the conduit 68 rearwardly of the coupler. Such a check valve may be placed for example with the bore 59 of the plug member 5|.

The springs 50 and 56 may be suitably proportioned. They may be equal or unequal in strength. Thus, for instance, the spring 56 may be stronger than the spring 56 so that the compression of the spring 55 alone will not, in and of itself, cause a compression of the spring 56 or will cause only a lesser compression of the spring 55.

By providing the cup-Washer 54, the washer 55, and the spring 58 within the bore 53 of the plug member 5|, it is possible to provide a construction in which a fluid-tight seal is maintained between said plug member 5| and said housing 20 without the necessity for providing a gasket between the plug member and the housing (as would be required if said cup-washer 54, washer 55 and spring 56 were placed within the bore 23 of the housing 20 and the spring 56 merely bottomed against the plug member 5|).

This feature has been found to be particularly advantageous since it simplifies the construction and minimizes the possibility of leakage of grease between the plug member and the housing.

As shown in Figure 4, it is possible to partially I disassemble the coupler of the present invention into several more or less integral units. Thus, by unscrewing the plug 5| from the main housing 20, the unit designated, in Figure 4, as Figure 4d may be removed. The unit shown in Figure 4d includes the plug member 5!, the spring 55, the spreader member 55 and the washer 54; the spring 55, the spreader member 55 and the washer 54 being retained within the inner bore 53 of the plug member 5| by the relatively close fit of said washer 54 within said bore 53.

After the unit shown in Figure 4d has been removed, the unit designated, in Figure 4, as Figure 40 may be similarly removed. The unit shown in Figure 40 includes the cup-shaped piston ii, the spring 55, the washer 45 and the spreader member 43; the spring 50, the washer 46 and the spreader member 48 being retained within the cylindrical bore 52 of said piston 45 by the relatively tight fit between said washer 35 and said After the units designated as Figures 4d, 40,

and 4?) have been removed, 25 which is left.

The units designated as Figures 4d, 4c, and 4b, in Figure 4, may then be further disassembled as shown in the composite view of Figure 5.

'l[hus,- in Figure 5, Figure 5d shows the unit illustrated in Figure 4d after it is fully disassembled (by removing the washer 54 from the inner bore 53 of the plug member 5!).

Figure 5c similarly shows the unit illustrated in Figure 40 after it has been fully disassembled (by removing the washer 55 from the bore 42 in the piston 4|).

Figure 5b shows the unit illustrated in Figure 45 after it has been fully disassembled (by removing the jaw members 36 and by slipping the Washer 32 off the sealing plunger 28) Figure 5a is a perspective View of the shell or housing 20 which is designated as Figure 4a in Figure 4.

The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof, and it is therefore desired that the present embodiment be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, reference being had to the appended claims rather than to the foregoing description to indicate the scope Having thus described the invention, what is hereby claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is:

1. A multi-jawed chuck-type hydraulic snapthe shell or housing is designated, in Figure 4, as Figure 4a of the invention.

III-".CO'UPIEF fora-use .1withheaded .fluidereceivingv lipples; including 1 a-rigenerally ;tubular. housing 5 ha-ll having an apertured: tapered. forward end;

aid forward end having a generally annular in:-

:lined inner cammingrsurface, said xhousingishell iaving agenerally cylindrical front bore, agen-t aral'lyr cylindrical larger-diametered: rearbore ind agenerally annular shoulder separating ;aid front'and rear bores, an" aperturedplug nember 'fittedwithin the rear end of said houslng shell having a generally cylindrical bore in ;he inner portion thereof, an aXially-apertured cylindrical sealing plunger fitted within said front bore and extending rearwardly-into said said annular ring and 'havinginturned gripping jaws in operative juxtaposition to the inner camming surface-of said housing shell; a'generally cup-like cylinder slidably mounted within said rear bore behind said annular ringhaving a cylindrical inner bore and having areduced-diameter apertured rear wall, the enlarged rear portion of said sealingplunger being slidably disposed Within the cylindrical bore of said cuplike cylinder and being held therewithin by said annular ring, a spring disposed within the bore of said cup-like cylinderand urging said sealing plunger forwardly, the reduced-diameter rear wall of said slidably-mounted cup like cylinder being slidably disposed within the cylindrical bore of said plug member and a springdisposed Within said last-mentioned bore urging said cup-like cylinder, said annular-ring and said gripping jaws forwardly withinsaid housing shell.

2. A multi-jawed chuck-type hydraulic snap-on coupler for use with headed fluid-receivingnip ples, including a generally tubular housing shell having an apertured tapered forward endysaid forward end having a generally annular inclined inner carnming surfacasaid'housing shell having' a generally =cylind1ical frontbore, a:gener+- ally cylindrical larger-diametered 1-rear:.bore andxi a generally; annular; shoulder separating "said-1' frontuand rear bores, an. aperturedxpluglmemben fitted: withnnthe-rear end: of saidrhousingishell l having" a generally cylindricalibore in theeinners portion thereof,; an. axially-*apertured cylindrical-a sealing plunger fittedwithin. said front bore .and

extending rearwardlyrintd said rear i. bore .1 and" having an :enlargedzcylindrical reari'portion, .an annular ring slidably .fitted about the main body of said vsealing plunger and slidably disposed;-

within saidrear bore intermediate saidiannular shoulder and the enlarged :rear portion of :saidsealing plunger, a plurality of independent "grip-2 ping .jawsvcircumferentially disposed within said front 'boreiand about saidvsealing plunger have ingr-theinrear ends abutting said annularringand having .inturned gripping jaws in operative.- juxtaposition to the inner camrning surface: of:

said housing shell, a generally cup-like cylinder slidably 'mounted Within said. rear .bore. behind said annular ring havinga cylindrical inner bore and having a'reduced-diameter aperturedrear ,,wall, the enlarged rear portion of said sealingplunger being slidably disposed within the-cylindrical bore of said cup-like cylinder and being heldtherewithin -by said annular ring, a cuplike aXially-apertured sealing member slidably disposed within saidborebehind the rear portion of said plunger, a-cup-1ike, axially-apertured metallic spreader member within said cup-- like sealing member, a spring disposed within the+bore-of said cup-like-cylinder and seated within'said spreader member and urging said sealing plunger'forwardly, the reduced-diameter rear wall. of said slidably-mountedv cup-like -cy1-' inder being slidably disposed Within the cyli'n drical'bore of said plug: member, aicup-like'" 'r-tioned bore and seated Within said la'st-men= tioned spreader member urging said cup-like cylinder, said annular ring and said-gripping jaws forwardly within said housing shell.

EDWIN P; SUNDHOLM. 

